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Team 2 Abstract: The design of an MI School is imperative in teaching through the multiple intelligences model. This requires the integration of each kind of intelligence into one’s lesson so that each student finds a way to connect to the content. In doing this, we not only appeal to more students in their specific interests, but also meet their needs, as well as encourage their proclivities. One way of doing this is through the integration of multiple intelligence centers into the classroom. These activities not only strengthen a student’s already cultivated or natural inclinations, but also encourage students to explore intelligences they themselves would not immediately identify with, in a low-risk environment. An example of using this in the classroom can be found in the four quadrant model which is composed of four sections: a mix of permanent centers, open-ended centers, temporary centers, and topic-specific centers. Another similar option teachers can utilize is the idea of a flow room, which is a single room dedicated to group-based exploration where students work together in open-ended and playful ways.
Another aspect of the MI school involves new jobs. These include assessment specialists, student-curriculum brokers, and school- community brokers. These people are basically in schools to help students utilize, or at least be aware of, all materials that can be offered. They allow students to get the most out of their education through tools and resources. These positions also prove to be resources for teacher in creating a productive classroom environment, such as receiving feedback on their curriculum. By figuring out where students seem to have the most confusion in a curriculum, a teacher can adapt to better fit the student’s needs.
Something you may one day find in an MI school is the use of the “ninth intelligence”, AKA Existential Intelligence. Gardner defines this intelligence as “a concern with ultimate life issues.” Some may see this as a cry for more religious-based learning in schools, but really, this mindset can be integrated into the curriculum with (normally) little controversy. The whole idea is understanding why people do certain things, why the world is as it is, which are a topics that can apply to history, literature, the arts, and even mathematics.
Synthesis:
Many students feel that a new MI school would be a welcome change of pace in the educational system. Tess Perry says that along with being an effective way to educate students, the MI school would be “an exciting place to work as a teacher.” Other students were less optimistic about the prospect of an MI school. Two students felt that such a school would be impractical in a public setting, and should be reserved for alternative approach schools. Identifying and approaching students’ intelligences early in their schooling careers is also seen as a subject that should be taken with caution. Many people are worried that students will be forced too early to specialize in a single intelligence while ignoring the rest. Sean Falasca tells us to, “keep your mind open to all the ways that students learn.” Two people spoke favorably of keeping pets in the classroom, saying that it would appeal to the naturalists and might build community. The existential intelligence is seen to be a very important intelligence as it covers the deepest thinking of questions. What many have concerns over though is that these questions may spark controversy as students question their own, as well as their parents’ beliefs. These questions can be difficult for adults, as well as youths, to confront.
Kiera Timme
Since all of the chapters came from Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom the overall theme was clear – integrating MI theory into the school environment and students’ lives. These four chapters shifted the conversation away from the individual classroom, alth ough this was covered, and focused on the role of MI theory school wide. In addition, was a discussion about the potential for a 9th MI, existentialism, resulting in a reflection of the impact the new category could have for individuals, classrooms, and schools. The chapters describe how MI schools and classrooms would be structured. An MI school, as opposed to a “traditional” school model, would include regular instructional sessions that incorporate all of the eight MI’s, as well as having assessment specialists, student-curriculum brokers, and school-community brokers. Moreover, MI schools would emphasize all content areas equally, something many traditional schools, which invest more time and resources in English, Math, and Science, fail to do. MI classrooms would differ to a traditional classroom even on the most seemingly small detail – the layout. The classroom layout of an MI classroom would be organized with each MI in mind, and would also include MI specific activity centers. MI activity centers can be temporary or permanent, they can be topic specific or topic-specific (shifting). The purpose of these activity centers is to provide students with a place to actively engage in the learning, with a hope to ignite in them, their “learning potential” (Armstrong, p109). This is not to say MI theory only has a place in curriculum. In fact, as the author proposes, MI theory can also have valuable implications in terms of its applications using computer technology, to celebrate and explore cultural diversity, and to aid in career counseling.
These four chapters provided me with the “big picture” behind MI theory. Understanding its implications for the whole school environment changes my perception of MI theory. Initially, MI theory just seemed like a beneficial instruction tool, whereas now, it seems more like complete educational model, such as a Montessori school. I am excited by the opportunities such a school presents for students. Given that we all have the potential to develop upon all of the eight MI’s, attending a school where each intelligence is nurtured consistently could have wonderful implications for the individual, and for our society as a whole. I would be very curious to read longitudinal case studies of students who have been through this system.
The discussion about technology really struck a chord with me. While designing my stage 3 unit I have noticed that it has been the technology components which have provided me with ways to meet the needs of the more challenging MI’s (e.g, musical and naturalistic). The comment by the author provides a great explanation for this – computers are “intelligence-neutral mechanisms” (Armstrong, p174), as such, we can use them to tailor to individual needs and interface”(Armstrong, p174) with all MI’s.
Frank Makuch
The first two chapters deal with involving multiple intelligence theory into schools. Lots of schools consider some of the intelligences in the theory to be “frill” subjects, or subjects that are not really important and that can be cut before the other subjects. Some of the MI instruction is being moved to “activity centers”. This is a classroom in which areas of the room are dedicated to certain intelligences. This way of creating an MI school can be achieved in a single classroom. The second chapter outlines how we would go about making an MI school. The plan involves regular instruction in all eight intelligences. There would be school wide themes as well as mixed age and ability groupings. I like this method because it seems a lot like a one room schoolhouse, and perhaps students learn best when everyone around them is studying the same them as they are. Students will be much more likely to talk with friends about school if the entire school community is studying the same thing. In addition, students will not feel confined to their own age and ability level. In a regular school, students move on to the next grade almost always, which pushes slower learners on without letting them learn. I think that a school that does not look at age and only ability would be a good school to learn at.
Chapter 13 describes other applications of MI theory. The applications listed are computer technology, cultural diversity, and career counseling. Career counseling is the most interesting here. If students come to understand what intelligence they are most proficient in, then they will be able to think about careers that utilize their skills. People who can identify what they love to do are able to find an exciting career for themselves. Finding a good career can lead to lifelong happiness. Of course this is what we want for our students. In terms of cultural diversity, MI theory can be a good way to learn about different cultures. Different cultures value different intelligences, and discussing these differences may lead to constructive learning opportunities. The teacher must make sure however that he does not oversimplify and appear racist.
The final chapter discusses an MI theory that is not yet recognized and may never be recognized as the ninth intelligence. This is the existential intelligence, and it applies to people who look at the big picture trying to find meaning. This intelligence may lend itself to religion, and in that way it’s probably too political to be recognized in a public school anytime soon. The intelligence does however lend itself to other areas. These levels include nearly all disciplines because, the meaning of life is not yet known, therefore everything we do is open to interpretation. The existential intelligence is more than just that though. The intelligence can also be seen in smaller contexts, such as why do we even study the subjects? What is the purpose of going to school? I do hope to address some of these smaller existential questions when I am a teacher.
Jon Delorme
Chapters 7, 9, 13, and 14 of Multiple Intelligences largely discuss how MI can be ideally used in a classroom, and how MI schools should look. In Chapter 7, Thomas Armstrong stresses again that all eight intelligences should have a place in any given classroom. He focused more specifically on how a classroom can be set up to help different students to learn. From having an aquarium (naturalist) to having tables set up in an inviting way (spatial), there is a lot that goe
s into creating an inviting and confortable learning area. This way of looking at a classroom is called the environmental model, or an ecological model.
Chapter 9 concerns what Howard Gardner considers the ideal MI school. The ideal MI would be very different from what our schools look like today. We are too reliant on logical-mathematical and linguistic learning, even though the other six intelligences can easily be used in all classes. Gardner suggests that schools should be more like children’s museums or the old apprenticeship model. I think this is a great idea. How natural is forcing a child to fill out a worksheet or fill in the blanks? When do adults ever have to do half of the things we make our students do? I love the idea of moving towards a Project Based curriculum where students are able to create not just memorize and repeat.
To highlight what an MI school looks like, Armstrong discussed the Key Learning Community in Indianapolis, Indiana. This school does many things differently than the public schools we have in place today, like using school-wide themes and providing students access to a “flow room.” To me, the four chapters can be summed up in one quote: multiple intelligence theory is all about “unleashing children’s potentials in all intelligences (Armstrong, 128).” To do that I think we need a change in educational culture here in America, something I think the book eludes to multiple times. I agree that we should let students expand upon all their intelligences. However, there are dangers to an MI school. If we pigeon hole a child early into only one intelligence we would be messing with the very fabric of our society. Like the chapter says, it could lead to forcing children into “a small niche that would serve a narrowly segmented society (Armstrong, 129).” That is why we must build MI schools effectively and rely on positive teachers to guide the future leaders of our world.
I also feel that existential intelligence activities in the classroom could lead to complications. I found the section on existential intelligence concerning history very fascinating. Ideals, beliefs, religion, they are what drive everyone. So yes, they do have a place to be discussed in a history class and I plan to have thoughtful and safe discussion on these issues in my classroom. I was not aware at the time that the existential intelligence covered discussions like this. I personally love debating philosophical questions about everything and to anyone who will talk to me. I’ve learned some people have no care to be philosophical or think about “what ifs.” I belief it is a great thing to discuss the problems of our world and talk about how our world works. Although this sounds perfect for a Social Science, I know this can lead to problems. If I were to work in these discussions into my classroom I must be very mindful of the possibilities that could arise. Angry parents, student fights, religious battles, just to name a few off the top of my head. Still though, debate is essential to our way of life, so I will be continuing to think of
ways in which debate and peace can live harmoniously together in my classroom someday.
Tori Penney
When a teacher takes into consideration the fact that the MIs do exist and that they make a big impact on the students learning, they reflect that consideration through differentiation within the classroom. Differentiation does not simply stop at lesson planning though, it is also involved in the environment. When I was in elementary school, my 4-6 grade teacher had a section of the room that was cornered off by book shelves and couches—a sort of reading nook. In this reading nook we would do our free choice reading as well as meet for our spelling tests. Having this separate quiet space was extremely helpful to me as well as to other students. But that classroom was the size of two and a half regular sized classrooms, so doing something that extensive would be very hard to do in the typical class. Environment also includes how people talk, the emotional atmosphere, noise level, decoration, and much more, not just how the classroom is set up.
A MI school seems to be a dream, but the reality for me and the rest of us in this class is that we will be going to a public school where funding is tight. I will most likely not experience a school like this, with these multiple kinds of professionals. Instead, I will have to have a MI classroom, and I will have to embody a Student-curriculum broker, a school-community- broker, and an assessment specialist. Needless to say, I will have my hands full. Of course, I am only one person and could not even dream of embodying all of that, but instead I can try to do it every once in a while to ensure that my students are getting their needs met.
MI also affects the classroom through the computers. There are many different kinds of computer programs that can be used for each of the intelligences. For example, I did a lot of graphic design in high school, even entering into competitions, and I am a very spatial learner. I feel like our generation will not be at all shy at incorporating MI theory into how we use our computers.
We need to remember as teachers that these experiences both negatively and positively affect how that student grows, especially into their future careers and lives. We could either encourage them to choose their own way, the way that feels comfortable and those they enjoy the most, or we could discourage them by never giving them the option to develop those skills, instead forcing what we consider to be the most important down their throat. That just doesn’t seem fair, and that is happening a bit too often in today’s world.
Sean Falasca
Obviously when teaching with MI’s you need to differentiate, but no with just content, but with the classroom environment as well. Making MI activity centers in a classroom greatly expands their time and skills with all intelligences. Setting up a book or nook library for linguistic learners, a math lab with calculators and manipulative for logical-mathematical, an art area for spatial, open space for creative movement for bodily-kinesthetic, a music lab for musical, a round table for discussion for interpersonal, study carrels for individual work for intrapersonal, and a plant center for the naturalist learners. Great centers like these will make each student’s day enjoyable and filled with learning. Making the students rotate between stations is a great way to develop all sills. Using the MI model is an ongoing structural revolution for school systems. Schools today are all about budgets and restrictions. The only ones who loose with schools running like this are students. Having the arts program cut along with the physical education program are far from the answer. Those are both vital to the developing human never mind the developing student. There is no proper excuse for cutting into these disciplines. MI schools have been suggested as an answer. They would focus on hands-on, interdisciplinary, based on real-life contexts, informal atmosphere, and project based learning into a student’s everyday experience. The Key Learning Community in Indianapolis, Indiana is a prime example of a successful MI school. There are three applications of MI mentioned in the reading and they are computer technology, cultural diversity, and career counseling. Computers are intelligence-neutral mechanisms so they can’t be stereotyped. There are so many specially designed software programs that dip into each intelligence. Cultural diversity in the past two decades has become prominent in the U.S. Don’t undervalue any MI because each MI is a cherished skill in different cultures. For career counseling, it’s important not to stereotype a student into a career or intelligence. Just because a student can dance really well it doesn’t mean you focus on only their dancing and influence them only to dance. Finally, there is a possibility that even more MI’s can be discovered moving forward. One particular topic of conversation is the existential. Keep your mind open to all ways that students learn. You never know, maybe we could discover the next new intelligence in one of our students
Garrett Hodgkins
In these four chapters the focus was on applying MI aesthetically in school wide ways, the classrooms, the hallways, and even outside of school. Some of the main points talk about having activity centers within the classroom, each of which may cater to a different intelligence. Not only do these centers improve the students learning and overall good experience in the classroom, but they also serve as a way for a teacher to assess the students stronger ( and less strong) intelligences. Furthermore as stated it discusses making an entire school cater to MI, where not just the classroom is fostered to MI needs, but let me iterate one more time, the entire school. Some examples were that each year the school would have particular themes that each classroom would work towards, as well as having different areas in the school that served as centers for particular intelligences ( just like the class activity centers, except in areas throughout the school). The next two chapters focused on ways that MI could work outside of the classroom like with computers, future careers, and cultural diversity. It also talked of existential intelligence, the intelligence that is not yet included on the list. Overall the general theme of this grouping of chapters was how to apply MI in not just your teaching methods but in every interaction your learners may have. The first three chapters certainly cater to that idea of a theme, but the fourth, the one dealing with existential intelligence is a little harder to link entirely to that theme. Luckily, Armstrong gives us some lovely reading on how he thinks that existential intelligence can link with other areas of the curriculum, which in turn links it to MI theory. These chapters gave some useful information on how to make your classroom more geared to cater to every type of learner you may find in your classroom. Some of my favorite ideas were the different ideas of posters and other things around the room that different learners may find stimulating to look at, which in turn would keep them awake. Furthermore, I really enjoyed the idea about having different centers in the classroom that work with each intelligence. Whether the students are allowed to use these centers in their free time or all the time while learning is something I will have to work out with myself as I continue to learn more about how I am going to teach, but I certainly see the value in having areas where students can go in their downtime to increase their usage of each intelligence area. Also, any chance to view my students own interests and what draws them intellectually is always great, especially when I can assess what areas on intelligence they may find interesting. I am not quite sure how to relate existential theory deeply with the rest of the intelligences, or with how it matches the themes of the other three chapters, but personally I view that intelligence as something that would be great to include in my classroom. Any classroom where students feel free to ask questions is a good one, and what is more though provoking than existential questions?
Kaitlyn Bowie
Chapter seven of Multiple Intelligences focuses on using the MI theory to create a classroom setup that stimulates good cognitive learning for any intelligence. The main tactic this chapter talked about was the practice of creating “centers” that catered to various intelligences with activities that do not openly feel like work, but still allow for constructive learning. The chapter also talks about organizing the classroom in a positive way. This can vary from adding colorful and amusing posters on the wall, to having classes outside, to moving around the classroom as you talk and engage the students, to having a class pet. These are all practices I would love to incorporate, especially the idea of a class pet. I find it helps to build a sense of community and can become a great subject to build lessons around.
Chapter nine focused of the full integration of the MI theory into an actual school, and not just in certain classrooms where the teachers have chosen to include it. The fact that students will show up everyday to class, regardless of their enthusiasm, are owed an education that can engage them and is richly developing their intelligences. Howard Gardner talks about examples of these MI schools and the diverse curriculum that they offer that consists of part of the day in an MI inclusive classroom, and then spending the other half of the day in a social learning environment such as a museum or apprenticeship. The kind of school Gardner describes sounds like a wonderful place to teach, but I also feel like it is a very idealized place. To have a school like this in Maine, I feel would be viewed more as an alternative school, and would be considered inferior to traditional schools. For MI schools to really be considered legitimate schools in the eyes of the public, the idea of schools really needs to be revolutionized and expanded upon. [[#|Chapter thirteen]] focuses specifically on the use of MI theory in including computer technology, cultural diversity, and career counseling for students. These three topics are just example of the wide array of subjects in which MI theory can be utilized. Using computers in education appeals to the modern tech culture, however, not everyone connects to computers the same way. Providing a wide array of software and programs for students to use and explore can help exercise their various intelligences. Cultural diversity is an every growing issue in schools, because teachers want to connect to everyone. MI theory can help to be culturally inclusive in a classroom, but caution needs to be taken that stereotypes are not confused for playing into intelligences. The third topic, career counseling, talks about exposing children to a wide array of careers and career areas at an early age so as to jumpstart thought about what they might want to be when they grow up. I know that I would want to encourage this kind of long-term thinking for my students, because I know it really would have helped me. All of a sudden I had to make all these choices about colleges and careers, when no one had really aggressively approached the subject until my junior year of high school.
Chapter fourteen focused on theory within MI about the prospect of a ninth intelligence, referred to as the existentialism intelligence. This is by no means a religious or spiritual intelligence, but it does focus on the idea of thinking beyond ones own self and immediate situation. One could call it “deep thinking” because it refers to someone who isn’t afraid to contemplate the big questions of human existence or the future of society. In many ways, this intelligence can be extended to almost any of the other eight intelligences. As an English teacher, I would be encouraging my students to think beyond what they are seeing on the page. How does this truly impact the characters view on life, their view on society? I would love to be able to integrate this into my classroom, because it is the big questions that often garner the greatest conversations. Mainly because there often is no right answer, every speculation has it’s odds at being a “correct” theory.
Tess Perry
Creating a multiple intelligence classroom was discussed in chapter 7 of the MI book. Certain aspects of the classroom can be designed to benefit all 8 MIs. One example was to create MI activity centers that can be used by students throughout the year. Each center has a variety of activities for each specific MI. For example creating a listening lab to listen to music or audio books is geared towards the musical intelligence. Some aspects of the activity centers I envision using in my classroom, especially having a small plant center or aquatic center with a fish tank that is aimed towards the naturalist intelligence. Chapter 9 took the MI classroom idea to a whole new level by discussing the concept of an MI school. Many ‘traditional schools’, as the book referred to them as, remove certain MI strong subjects because they are thought of as extras. These include art (spatial intelligence), music (musical intelligence), and physical education (bodily-kinesthetic intelligence). The emphasis of this chapter was that all students should have the opportunity to use all 8 MIs at least once everyday. A MI school would include all of these subjects and have a project based learning philosophy. I found the description of the MI school, the Key Learning Community, to be fantastic! I image that not only is that type of school an excellent and engaging learning environment but also an exciting place to work as a teacher. Being a part of a progressive and innovative education system would require challenging teachers to full potential as well as the students. The use of the MI theory with computer technology, cultural diversity and career counseling were the topics of chapter 13. Certain applications using computer technology can help integrate many of the MIs, especially multimedia projects. Exploring how different MIs are used and valued in different cultures was interesting to read about and brought new perspective to MI theory. Discussing career paths with students and the involved MIs of different careers would be an effective way to connect lessons and content to the real world. Discussing real world jobs has been something I think I would like to bring into my classroom. Students should have a comprehensive understanding of the opportunities beyond school and students should know what they are learning in school will only benefit them in the job market. The idea of adding a 9th intelligence to the MI theory was the subject of discussion in chapter 14. Howard Gardner has been be considering including the existential as another MI. This intelligence has been defined by Gardner as “a concern with ultimate life issues.” Upon reading this chapter I am not entirely clear on the existential intelligence, to me it can be described as someone who is deep thinker. I cannot see the connection between this intelligence and the others or how someone with this intelligence as their strongest learns. Perhaps this is why Gardner has not officially added it to the MI list.
Molly Olsen
Multiple intelligences shouldn't just be catered to through the curriculum, making your classroom MI friendly is also a great step towards helping kids learn better and feel more comfortable. One of the ideas which most interested me, was to have four centers in your room of activity centers. The activity centers are either permanently or temporarily (changing, unchanging) time-based, or open-ended or topic-specific in subject. By mixing the two kinds subjects and time-based permanency, you have lots of options, and not only will students have options that they can depend on to be unchanging and which they are used to, they will also be stimulated with new things as well. The idea is to put each of these sections in the four corners of your room, but depending on the size or style of your classroom this may prove difficult. I personally think this is more appropriate for younger classrooms than the ones I plan to teach in.
The whole school can also help accommodate these intelligences. Schoolwide themes are suggested as a way to encourage schools to do something fun for the kids, while also giving teachers ideas to plan new projects around to incorporate the theme. There is also the idea of having mixed-aged grouping, which can give students the ability to work with people at various education levels from them. Another idea is of a whole room devoted to the intelligences, featuring games and activities called a "flow room", which can help students develop their lesser-used or lesser-attuned intelligences in a stress-free environment, or simply continue to strengthen their other ones.
A few different staff positions are also something to consider. An assessment specialist is suggested, along with a student-curriculum and school-community broker. The assessment specialist would be in charge of creating a sort of portfolio or record of sorts that tracks every student's strengths, limitations, and interests in all eight intelligences. This information is made available to, and can be helpful to, the students, future and current teachers, as well as the student's parents. (We have to be careful not to stress too much importance on these though, as we don't want kids to stifle one intelligence and not work on it, simply because they're currently "limited" in that intelligence.) The brokers jobs would be to serve as bridges, the first between students gifts or abilities and the available resources the school has to offer. Basically, they make sure if the school have a tool a student can use to learn more deeply, that it's offered to them or they're aware of it's existence. School-community brokers are the link between student's intelligences and what the community around them has to offer.
Some things that you may not immediately associate with MI theory include computer technology, career counseling and cultural diversity. All of these things can be added to your curriculum and used as a means to implement the eight intelligences. When it comes to cultural diversity, there is something to be careful of, involving the possible ninth intelligence. While spirituality (the ninth possible intelligence) can be integrated through your curriculum, it's often not done because of cultural differences and hence religious differences between students. Because I don't want to offend anyone, I will try to keep my use of religion minimal or fact-based if possible.
Caroline Murphy
Chapters 7, 9, 13, and 14 of Multiple Intelligences focus on showing teachers how to create a classroom environment that is flexible and accepting to all learning styles. They expresses how important it is for educators to have extensive knowledge of the eight different intelligences and to make their students aware of them too. The best way to do this is to incorporate knowledge of different learning styles into the curriculum. Teachers need to be aware of how many different learning styles their lessons can accommodate, and make changes to their methods where necessary. Embracing multiple intelligences in the classroom is all about adaptability, and teachers need to be open to things like activity centers and student choice as ways to encourage learning. The topic of MI schools was also addressed, with the goal being total immersion in multiple intelligence-supporting curriculum and methods. Schools with this very targeted approach place a lot of emphasis on students being able to experience each of the different intelligences every day, and that they have the right as students to do so. The book also addresses practical applications of MI theory, such as with career choice and technology usage. The element of universality in multiple intelligence learning is also discussed, with the point being that everyone has different strengths and skills that are an asset to life outside of the classroom. Chapter 14 talks about Howard Gardner’s proposed ninth intelligence and raises questions about how to adapt potentially controversial material into content that is acceptable for everyone. Learning about the different ways to apply multiple intelligence theory in the classroom is very useful to me as a future teacher. The thought of finding ways to incorporate each of the eight intelligences into my curriculum is a very daunting task, and there is a lot of pressure because messing up results in wasting precious time to educate a student. But the tenets of multiple intelligence theory – flexibility, adaptability, hands-on learning – are all traits that teachers should strive for anyway. As a teacher I will try to be all of these things, because accommodating for different learning styles is of the utmost importance. Something the author said in Chapter 9 really stood out to me; on page 129, the author says that we have to be careful not to create an education system where we exploit students’ strongest intelligences to pigeonhole them into the sector of society that we see fit. Multiple intelligence theory is all about equality and acceptance, and creating a ranking system of different intelligences is not something that would accomplish these goals. As a teacher I want to strive to have a classroom where there is no longer a boundary between the “smart” kids and the “dumb” kids. Teachers need to learn to appreciate the different strengths of their students, and so do the students themselves. The best way for this to happen is for teachers to integrate acceptance of multiple intelligences into their curriculum, and that is something that I am determined to do as an educator.
Alison Hutchins
The chapters in Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom all focused on some aspect of the successful use of multiple intelligences. This involves not only in the classroom, but in the school as a whole. The classroom aspect talks about some really simple ways that a teacher can make a student of any multiple intelligence strength more capable of learning in their room. The most interesting was probably the very basic utilization of the environment of the classroom. It is really important to be sure that the room is comfortable, but not overly distracting, posters, for example, can be great for linguistic learners, but if they're too distracting, they can take away from the actual events of the classroom. The same goes for the possibility of playing music. It could greatly help musical learners, but they are also the ones that can get easily distracted listening to music, so it is important to make sure that it is something that will absolutely slip into the background of the true lesson. The parts about a multiple intelligence school were really interesting, especially because they look at the same traditional subjects, just in a new way. There are three positions in a MI school that really make it an MI school. These are the Curriculum Brokers, who match students to the courses in which they would have the best possibility of maximizing their potential; Assessment Specialists, who keep records of every student's strengths, and areas of struggle, based on their multiple intelligence information; and a Student Community Broker, who would be utilized to find student's positions in their community where they could use their multiple intelligence areas of strength. Part of the reading also discusses the importance of a teacher understanding different cultural responses to intelligences. As I want to teach in India someday, I really found this interesting, as their culture no doubt differs from ours in that sense. The idea of adding a ninth intelligence is something that I was pretty fascinated by, as I feel like there probably are a lot more than just eight intelligences. I don't really see how existential necessarily fits with the format of the other intelligences, however.
All of the information in these chapters are really important to my ideas about my future classroom. I had never thought so in depth about the way that students of varying multiple intelligences would view my classroom, or how that could effect their ability to learn. Making students comfortable in the environment and with the teacher is something that I think is crucial to learning, so I will definitely implement this. I would also love to see a multiple intelligence school in action, as it really is not anything that I have seen in action before, or that I have, to my memory, heard of. The existence of a ninth intelligence is absolutely something that I will keep an eye on, because I would not want a learner in my classroom to lose the opportunity to learn the way that is best for them just because their intelligence has not been officially recognized.
Amy Jones
These 4 Chapters in MI talked about Multiple Intelligences into deeper understandings. The chapters talked about how the environments of students should be as customized as the learning should be. The little things like make your classroom colorful and filled with pictures, makes the spatial experts feel comfortable, or the tone of your voice as a teacher can either engage a musical learner or disengage them with each sentence. Another area that the chapters touched on was the idea of customized the whole learning experiences, where the primary focus of the school isn’t testing and standardized assessment, but rather a school that understands that if children embraced themselves as individuals then just imagine how much of their potential they can reach. With the same thinking in mind of having the children reaching their full potential, another area that was address was the idea of integrating more technology into the classrooms. This is a subject that I agree with but to some extent. I have learned about a lot of different tools that technology can bring, but with being an aspiring health educator, I can’t help but think that some of our nation’s biggest health concerns are enhanced by technology. For example the technological advancement such as the different tools for which farmers gather their crops. With the bigger machines and the enhanced seeds this country is making a surplus of corn that has seem to makes its way into a lot of the food and drink (corn syrup) that most of us eat on a regular basis, and now feed it to animals that are not design to eat this corn and end up killing them from the inside out. Enough on that subject and on that of cultural differences in the mists of all intelligence. This is the idea that the culture in which you grow up in may or may not play a factor in the development of one intelligence over another. The examples in the book where very interesting to find out. On page 177 the author talks about a culture that originated in the South Sea Islands are more prone to be naturalists and specialist because of the geography of the area. They are taught at young ages to memorize where the different islands are by the surfaces of different formations and also by the cancellations in the sky. This area also touched upon the natural career paths of the certain intelligences, which in my case pin pointed it exactly. The final area that was mentioned was that of a possible ninth intelligence. This intelligence being existential. This intelligence is focused on the idea of “the concern with ultimate life issues” (182). This is discussed throughout the chapter and it perceived to be a hard intelligence to introduce into a classroom because of the ethical and religious concerns. This is the main reason Howard Gardiner hasn’t officially introduced this intelligence fully, referring to it as a half intelligence making there 8 ½ intelligences instead of just eight.
Table of Contents
Team 2
Abstract: The design of an MI School is imperative in teaching through the multiple intelligences model. This requires the integration of each kind of intelligence into one’s lesson so that each student finds a way to connect to the content. In doing this, we not only appeal to more students in their specific interests, but also meet their needs, as well as encourage their proclivities. One way of doing this is through the integration of multiple intelligence centers into the classroom. These activities not only strengthen a student’s already cultivated or natural inclinations, but also encourage students to explore intelligences they themselves would not immediately identify with, in a low-risk environment. An example of using this in the classroom can be found in the four quadrant model which is composed of four sections: a mix of permanent centers, open-ended centers, temporary centers, and topic-specific centers. Another similar option teachers can utilize is the idea of a flow room, which is a single room dedicated to group-based exploration where students work together in open-ended and playful ways.
Another aspect of the MI school involves new jobs. These include assessment specialists, student-curriculum brokers, and school- community brokers. These people are basically in schools to help students utilize, or at least be aware of, all materials that can be offered. They allow students to get the most out of their education through tools and resources. These positions also prove to be resources for teacher in creating a productive classroom environment, such as receiving feedback on their curriculum. By figuring out where students seem to have the most confusion in a curriculum, a teacher can adapt to better fit the student’s needs.
Something you may one day find in an MI school is the use of the “ninth intelligence”, AKA Existential Intelligence. Gardner defines this intelligence as “a concern with ultimate life issues.” Some may see this as a cry for more religious-based learning in schools, but really, this mindset can be integrated into the curriculum with (normally) little controversy. The whole idea is understanding why people do certain things, why the world is as it is, which are a topics that can apply to history, literature, the arts, and even mathematics.
Synthesis:
Many students feel that a new MI school would be a welcome change of pace in the educational system. Tess Perry says that along with being an effective way to educate students, the MI school would be “an exciting place to work as a teacher.” Other students were less optimistic about the prospect of an MI school. Two students felt that such a school would be impractical in a public setting, and should be reserved for alternative approach schools. Identifying and approaching students’ intelligences early in their schooling careers is also seen as a subject that should be taken with caution. Many people are worried that students will be forced too early to specialize in a single intelligence while ignoring the rest. Sean Falasca tells us to, “keep your mind open to all the ways that students learn.” Two people spoke favorably of keeping pets in the classroom, saying that it would appeal to the naturalists and might build community. The existential intelligence is seen to be a very important intelligence as it covers the deepest thinking of questions. What many have concerns over though is that these questions may spark controversy as students question their own, as well as their parents’ beliefs. These questions can be difficult for adults, as well as youths, to confront.
Kiera Timme
Since all of the chapters came from Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom the overall theme was clear – integrating MI theory into the school environment and students’ lives. These four chapters shifted the conversation away from the individual classroom, although this was covered, and focused on the role of MI theory school wide. In addition, was a discussion about the potential for a 9th MI, existentialism, resulting in a reflection of the impact the new category could have for individuals, classrooms, and schools. The chapters describe how MI schools and classrooms would be structured. An MI school, as opposed to a “traditional” school model, would include regular instructional sessions that incorporate all of the eight MI’s, as well as having assessment specialists, student-curriculum brokers, and school-community brokers. Moreover, MI schools would emphasize all content areas equally, something many traditional schools, which invest more time and resources in English, Math, and Science, fail to do. MI classrooms would differ to a traditional classroom even on the most seemingly small detail – the layout. The classroom layout of an MI classroom would be organized with each MI in mind, and would also include MI specific activity centers. MI activity centers can be temporary or permanent, they can be topic specific or topic-specific (shifting). The purpose of these activity centers is to provide students with a place to actively engage in the learning, with a hope to ignite in them, their “learning potential” (Armstrong, p109). This is not to say MI theory only has a place in curriculum. In fact, as the author proposes, MI theory can also have valuable implications in terms of its applications using computer technology, to celebrate and explore cultural diversity, and to aid in career counseling.
These four chapters provided me with the “big picture” behind MI theory. Understanding its implications for the whole school environment changes my perception of MI theory. Initially, MI theory just seemed like a beneficial instruction tool, whereas now, it seems more like complete educational model, such as a Montessori school. I am excited by the opportunities such a school presents for students. Given that we all have the potential to develop upon all of the eight MI’s, attending a school where each intelligence is nurtured consistently could have wonderful implications for the individual, and for our society as a whole. I would be very curious to read longitudinal case studies of students who have been through this system.
The discussion about technology really struck a chord with me. While designing my stage 3 unit I have noticed that it has been the technology components which have provided me with ways to meet the needs of the more challenging MI’s (e.g, musical and naturalistic). The comment by the author provides a great explanation for this – computers are “intelligence-neutral mechanisms” (Armstrong, p174), as such, we can use them to tailor to individual needs and interface”(Armstrong, p174) with all MI’s.
Frank Makuch
The first two chapters deal with involving multiple intelligence theory into schools. Lots of schools consider some of the intelligences in the theory to be “frill” subjects, or subjects that are not really important and that can be cut before the other subjects. Some of the MI instruction is being moved to “activity centers”. This is a classroom in which areas of the room are dedicated to certain intelligences. This way of creating an MI school can be achieved in a single classroom. The second chapter outlines how we would go about making an MI school. The plan involves regular instruction in all eight intelligences. There would be school wide themes as well as mixed age and ability groupings. I like this method because it seems a lot like a one room schoolhouse, and perhaps students learn best when everyone around them is studying the same them as they are. Students will be much more likely to talk with friends about school if the entire school community is studying the same thing. In addition, students will not feel confined to their own age and ability level. In a regular school, students move on to the next grade almost always, which pushes slower learners on without letting them learn. I think that a school that does not look at age and only ability would be a good school to learn at.Chapter 13 describes other applications of MI theory. The applications listed are computer technology, cultural diversity, and career counseling. Career counseling is the most interesting here. If students come to understand what intelligence they are most proficient in, then they will be able to think about careers that utilize their skills. People who can identify what they love to do are able to find an exciting career for themselves. Finding a good career can lead to lifelong happiness. Of course this is what we want for our students. In terms of cultural diversity, MI theory can be a good way to learn about different cultures. Different cultures value different intelligences, and discussing these differences may lead to constructive learning opportunities. The teacher must make sure however that he does not oversimplify and appear racist.
The final chapter discusses an MI theory that is not yet recognized and may never be recognized as the ninth intelligence. This is the existential intelligence, and it applies to people who look at the big picture trying to find meaning. This intelligence may lend itself to religion, and in that way it’s probably too political to be recognized in a public school anytime soon. The intelligence does however lend itself to other areas. These levels include nearly all disciplines because, the meaning of life is not yet known, therefore everything we do is open to interpretation. The existential intelligence is more than just that though. The intelligence can also be seen in smaller contexts, such as why do we even study the subjects? What is the purpose of going to school? I do hope to address some of these smaller existential questions when I am a teacher.
Jon Delorme
Chapters 7, 9, 13, and 14 of Multiple Intelligences largely discuss how MI can be ideally used in a classroom, and how MI schools should look. In Chapter 7, Thomas Armstrong stresses again that all eight intelligences should have a place in any given classroom. He focused more specifically on how a classroom can be set up to help different students to learn. From having an aquarium (naturalist) to having tables set up in an inviting way (spatial), there is a lot that goe
s into creating an inviting and confortable learning area. This way of looking at a classroom is called the environmental model, or an ecological model.
Chapter 9 concerns what Howard Gardner considers the ideal MI school. The ideal MI would be very different from what our schools look like today. We are too reliant on logical-mathematical and linguistic learning, even though the other six intelligences can easily be used in all classes. Gardner suggests that schools should be more like children’s museums or the old apprenticeship model. I think this is a great idea. How natural is forcing a child to fill out a worksheet or fill in the blanks? When do adults ever have to do half of the things we make our students do? I love the idea of moving towards a Project Based curriculum where students are able to create not just memorize and repeat.
To highlight what an MI school looks like, Armstrong discussed the Key Learning Community in Indianapolis, Indiana. This school does many things differently than the public schools we have in place today, like using school-wide themes and providing students access to a “flow room.” To me, the four chapters can be summed up in one quote: multiple intelligence theory is all about “unleashing children’s potentials in all intelligences (Armstrong, 128).” To do that I think we need a change in educational culture here in America, something I think the book eludes to multiple times. I agree that we should let students expand upon all their intelligences. However, there are dangers to an MI school. If we pigeon hole a child early into only one intelligence we would be messing with the very fabric of our society. Like the chapter says, it could lead to forcing children into “a small niche that would serve a narrowly segmented society (Armstrong, 129).” That is why we must build MI schools effectively and rely on positive teachers to guide the future leaders of our world.
I also feel that existential intelligence activities in the classroom could lead to complications. I found the section on existential intelligence concerning history very fascinating. Ideals, beliefs, religion, they are what drive everyone. So yes, they do have a place to be discussed in a history class and I plan to have thoughtful and safe discussion on these issues in my classroom. I was not aware at the time that the existential intelligence covered discussions like this. I personally love debating philosophical questions about everything and to anyone who will talk to me. I’ve learned some people have no care to be philosophical or think about “what ifs.” I belief it is a great thing to discuss the problems of our world and talk about how our world works. Although this sounds perfect for a Social Science, I know this can lead to problems. If I were to work in these discussions into my classroom I must be very mindful of the possibilities that could arise. Angry parents, student fights, religious battles, just to name a few off the top of my head. Still though, debate is essential to our way of life, so I will be continuing to think of
ways in which debate and peace can live harmoniously together in my classroom someday.
Tori Penney
When a teacher takes into consideration the fact that the MIs do exist and that they make a big impact on the students learning, they reflect that consideration through differentiation within the classroom. Differentiation does not simply stop at lesson planning though, it is also involved in the environment. When I was in elementary school, my 4-6 grade teacher had a section of the room that was cornered off by book shelves and couches—a sort of reading nook. In this reading nook we would do our free choice reading as well as meet for our spelling tests. Having this separate quiet space was extremely helpful to me as well as to other students. But that classroom was the size of two and a half regular sized classrooms, so doing something that extensive would be very hard to do in the typical class. Environment also includes how people talk, the emotional atmosphere, noise level, decoration, and much more, not just how the classroom is set up.A MI school seems to be a dream, but the reality for me and the rest of us in this class is that we will be going to a public school where funding is tight. I will most likely not experience a school like this, with these multiple kinds of professionals. Instead, I will have to have a MI classroom, and I will have to embody a Student-curriculum broker, a school-community- broker, and an assessment specialist. Needless to say, I will have my hands full. Of course, I am only one person and could not even dream of embodying all of that, but instead I can try to do it every once in a while to ensure that my students are getting their needs met.
MI also affects the classroom through the computers. There are many different kinds of computer programs that can be used for each of the intelligences. For example, I did a lot of graphic design in high school, even entering into competitions, and I am a very spatial learner. I feel like our generation will not be at all shy at incorporating MI theory into how we use our computers.
We need to remember as teachers that these experiences both negatively and positively affect how that student grows, especially into their future careers and lives. We could either encourage them to choose their own way, the way that feels comfortable and those they enjoy the most, or we could discourage them by never giving them the option to develop those skills, instead forcing what we consider to be the most important down their throat. That just doesn’t seem fair, and that is happening a bit too often in today’s world.
Sean Falasca
Obviously when teaching with MI’s you need to differentiate, but no with just content, but with the classroom environment as well. Making MI activity centers in a classroom greatly expands their time and skills with all intelligences. Setting up a book or nook library for linguistic learners, a math lab with calculators and manipulative for logical-mathematical, an art area for spatial, open space for creative movement for bodily-kinesthetic, a music lab for musical, a round table for discussion for interpersonal, study carrels for individual work for intrapersonal, and a plant center for the naturalist learners. Great centers like these will make each student’s day enjoyable and filled with learning. Making the students rotate between stations is a great way to develop all sills. Using the MI model is an ongoing structural revolution for school systems. Schools today are all about budgets and restrictions. The only ones who loose with schools running like this are students. Having the arts program cut along with the physical education program are far from the answer. Those are both vital to the developing human never mind the developing student. There is no proper excuse for cutting into these disciplines. MI schools have been suggested as an answer. They would focus on hands-on, interdisciplinary, based on real-life contexts, informal atmosphere, and project based learning into a student’s everyday experience. The Key Learning Community in Indianapolis, Indiana is a prime example of a successful MI school. There are three applications of MI mentioned in the reading and they are computer technology, cultural diversity, and career counseling. Computers are intelligence-neutral mechanisms so they can’t be stereotyped. There are so many specially designed software programs that dip into each intelligence. Cultural diversity in the past two decades has become prominent in the U.S. Don’t undervalue any MI because each MI is a cherished skill in different cultures. For career counseling, it’s important not to stereotype a student into a career or intelligence. Just because a student can dance really well it doesn’t mean you focus on only their dancing and influence them only to dance. Finally, there is a possibility that even more MI’s can be discovered moving forward. One particular topic of conversation is the existential. Keep your mind open to all ways that students learn. You never know, maybe we could discover the next new intelligence in one of our students
Garrett Hodgkins
In these four chapters the focus was on applying MI aesthetically in school wide ways, the classrooms, the hallways, and even outside of school. Some of the main points talk about having activity centers within the classroom, each of which may cater to a different intelligence. Not only do these centers improve the students learning and overall good experience in the classroom, but they also serve as a way for a teacher to assess the students stronger ( and less strong) intelligences.Furthermore as stated it discusses making an entire school cater to MI, where not just the classroom is fostered to MI needs, but let me iterate one more time, the entire school. Some examples were that each year the school would have particular themes that each classroom would work towards, as well as having different areas in the school that served as centers for particular intelligences ( just like the class activity centers, except in areas throughout the school).
The next two chapters focused on ways that MI could work outside of the classroom like with computers, future careers, and cultural diversity. It also talked of existential intelligence, the intelligence that is not yet included on the list.
Overall the general theme of this grouping of chapters was how to apply MI in not just your teaching methods but in every interaction your learners may have. The first three chapters certainly cater to that idea of a theme, but the fourth, the one dealing with existential intelligence is a little harder to link entirely to that theme. Luckily, Armstrong gives us some lovely reading on how he thinks that existential intelligence can link with other areas of the curriculum, which in turn links it to MI theory.
These chapters gave some useful information on how to make your classroom more geared to cater to every type of learner you may find in your classroom. Some of my favorite ideas were the different ideas of posters and other things around the room that different learners may find stimulating to look at, which in turn would keep them awake. Furthermore, I really enjoyed the idea about having different centers in the classroom that work with each intelligence. Whether the students are allowed to use these centers in their free time or all the time while learning is something I will have to work out with myself as I continue to learn more about how I am going to teach, but I certainly see the value in having areas where students can go in their downtime to increase their usage of each intelligence area. Also, any chance to view my students own interests and what draws them intellectually is always great, especially when I can assess what areas on intelligence they may find interesting. I am not quite sure how to relate existential theory deeply with the rest of the intelligences, or with how it matches the themes of the other three chapters, but personally I view that intelligence as something that would be great to include in my classroom. Any classroom where students feel free to ask questions is a good one, and what is more though provoking than existential questions?
Kaitlyn Bowie
Chapter seven of Multiple Intelligences focuses on using the MI theory to create a classroom setup that stimulates good cognitive learning for any intelligence. The main tactic this chapter talked about was the practice of creating “centers” that catered to various intelligences with activities that do not openly feel like work, but still allow for constructive learning. The chapter also talks about organizing the classroom in a positive way. This can vary from adding colorful and amusing posters on the wall, to having classes outside, to moving around the classroom as you talk and engage the students, to having a class pet. These are all practices I would love to incorporate, especially the idea of a class pet. I find it helps to build a sense of community and can become a great subject to build lessons around.Chapter nine focused of the full integration of the MI theory into an actual school, and not just in certain classrooms where the teachers have chosen to include it. The fact that students will show up everyday to class, regardless of their enthusiasm, are owed an education that can engage them and is richly developing their intelligences. Howard Gardner talks about examples of these MI schools and the diverse curriculum that they offer that consists of part of the day in an MI inclusive classroom, and then spending the other half of the day in a social learning environment such as a museum or apprenticeship. The kind of school Gardner describes sounds like a wonderful place to teach, but I also feel like it is a very idealized place. To have a school like this in Maine, I feel would be viewed more as an alternative school, and would be considered inferior to traditional schools. For MI schools to really be considered legitimate schools in the eyes of the public, the idea of schools really needs to be revolutionized and expanded upon.
[[#|Chapter thirteen]] focuses specifically on the use of MI theory in including computer technology, cultural diversity, and career counseling for students. These three topics are just example of the wide array of subjects in which MI theory can be utilized. Using computers in education appeals to the modern tech culture, however, not everyone connects to computers the same way. Providing a wide array of software and programs for students to use and explore can help exercise their various intelligences. Cultural diversity is an every growing issue in schools, because teachers want to connect to everyone. MI theory can help to be culturally inclusive in a classroom, but caution needs to be taken that stereotypes are not confused for playing into intelligences. The third topic, career counseling, talks about exposing children to a wide array of careers and career areas at an early age so as to jumpstart thought about what they might want to be when they grow up. I know that I would want to encourage this kind of long-term thinking for my students, because I know it really would have helped me. All of a sudden I had to make all these choices about colleges and careers, when no one had really aggressively approached the subject until my junior year of high school.
Chapter fourteen focused on theory within MI about the prospect of a ninth intelligence, referred to as the existentialism intelligence. This is by no means a religious or spiritual intelligence, but it does focus on the idea of thinking beyond ones own self and immediate situation. One could call it “deep thinking” because it refers to someone who isn’t afraid to contemplate the big questions of human existence or the future of society. In many ways, this intelligence can be extended to almost any of the other eight intelligences. As an English teacher, I would be encouraging my students to think beyond what they are seeing on the page. How does this truly impact the characters view on life, their view on society? I would love to be able to integrate this into my classroom, because it is the big questions that often garner the greatest conversations. Mainly because there often is no right answer, every speculation has it’s odds at being a “correct” theory.
Tess Perry
Creating a multiple intelligence classroom was discussed in chapter 7 of the MI book. Certain aspects of the classroom can be designed to benefit all 8 MIs. One example was to create MI activity centers that can be used by students throughout the year. Each center has a variety of activities for each specific MI. For example creating a listening lab to listen to music or audio books is geared towards the musical intelligence. Some aspects of the activity centers I envision using in my classroom, especially having a small plant center or aquatic center with a fish tank that is aimed towards the naturalist intelligence.
Chapter 9 took the MI classroom idea to a whole new level by discussing the concept of an MI school. Many ‘traditional schools’, as the book referred to them as, remove certain MI strong subjects because they are thought of as extras. These include art (spatial intelligence), music (musical intelligence), and physical education (bodily-kinesthetic intelligence). The emphasis of this chapter was that all students should have the opportunity to use all 8 MIs at least once everyday. A MI school would include all of these subjects and have a project based learning philosophy. I found the description of the MI school, the Key Learning Community, to be fantastic! I image that not only is that type of school an excellent and engaging learning environment but also an exciting place to work as a teacher. Being a part of a progressive and innovative education system would require challenging teachers to full potential as well as the students.
The use of the MI theory with computer technology, cultural diversity and career counseling were the topics of chapter 13. Certain applications using computer technology can help integrate many of the MIs, especially multimedia projects. Exploring how different MIs are used and valued in different cultures was interesting to read about and brought new perspective to MI theory. Discussing career paths with students and the involved MIs of different careers would be an effective way to connect lessons and content to the real world. Discussing real world jobs has been something I think I would like to bring into my classroom. Students should have a comprehensive understanding of the opportunities beyond school and students should know what they are learning in school will only benefit them in the job market.
The idea of adding a 9th intelligence to the MI theory was the subject of discussion in chapter 14. Howard Gardner has been be considering including the existential as another MI. This intelligence has been defined by Gardner as “a concern with ultimate life issues.” Upon reading this chapter I am not entirely clear on the existential intelligence, to me it can be described as someone who is deep thinker. I cannot see the connection between this intelligence and the others or how someone with this intelligence as their strongest learns. Perhaps this is why Gardner has not officially added it to the MI list.
Molly Olsen
Multiple intelligences shouldn't just be catered to through the curriculum, making your classroom MI friendly is also a great step towards helping kids learn better and feel more comfortable. One of the ideas which most interested me, was to have four centers in your room of activity centers. The activity centers are either permanently or temporarily (changing, unchanging) time-based, or open-ended or topic-specific in subject. By mixing the two kinds subjects and time-based permanency, you have lots of options, and not only will students have options that they can depend on to be unchanging and which they are used to, they will also be stimulated with new things as well. The idea is to put each of these sections in the four corners of your room, but depending on the size or style of your classroom this may prove difficult. I personally think this is more appropriate for younger classrooms than the ones I plan to teach in.The whole school can also help accommodate these intelligences. Schoolwide themes are suggested as a way to encourage schools to do something fun for the kids, while also giving teachers ideas to plan new projects around to incorporate the theme. There is also the idea of having mixed-aged grouping, which can give students the ability to work with people at various education levels from them. Another idea is of a whole room devoted to the intelligences, featuring games and activities called a "flow room", which can help students develop their lesser-used or lesser-attuned intelligences in a stress-free environment, or simply continue to strengthen their other ones.
A few different staff positions are also something to consider. An assessment specialist is suggested, along with a student-curriculum and school-community broker. The assessment specialist would be in charge of creating a sort of portfolio or record of sorts that tracks every student's strengths, limitations, and interests in all eight intelligences. This information is made available to, and can be helpful to, the students, future and current teachers, as well as the student's parents. (We have to be careful not to stress too much importance on these though, as we don't want kids to stifle one intelligence and not work on it, simply because they're currently "limited" in that intelligence.) The brokers jobs would be to serve as bridges, the first between students gifts or abilities and the available resources the school has to offer. Basically, they make sure if the school have a tool a student can use to learn more deeply, that it's offered to them or they're aware of it's existence. School-community brokers are the link between student's intelligences and what the community around them has to offer.
Some things that you may not immediately associate with MI theory include computer technology, career counseling and cultural diversity. All of these things can be added to your curriculum and used as a means to implement the eight intelligences. When it comes to cultural diversity, there is something to be careful of, involving the possible ninth intelligence. While spirituality (the ninth possible intelligence) can be integrated through your curriculum, it's often not done because of cultural differences and hence religious differences between students. Because I don't want to offend anyone, I will try to keep my use of religion minimal or fact-based if possible.
Caroline Murphy
Chapters 7, 9, 13, and 14 of Multiple Intelligences focus on showing teachers how to create a classroom environment that is flexible and accepting to all learning styles. They expresses how important it is for educators to have extensive knowledge of the eight different intelligences and to make their students aware of them too. The best way to do this is to incorporate knowledge of different learning styles into the curriculum. Teachers need to be aware of how many different learning styles their lessons can accommodate, and make changes to their methods where necessary. Embracing multiple intelligences in the classroom is all about adaptability, and teachers need to be open to things like activity centers and student choice as ways to encourage learning. The topic of MI schools was also addressed, with the goal being total immersion in multiple intelligence-supporting curriculum and methods. Schools with this very targeted approach place a lot of emphasis on students being able to experience each of the different intelligences every day, and that they have the right as students to do so. The book also addresses practical applications of MI theory, such as with career choice and technology usage. The element of universality in multiple intelligence learning is also discussed, with the point being that everyone has different strengths and skills that are an asset to life outside of the classroom. Chapter 14 talks about Howard Gardner’s proposed ninth intelligence and raises questions about how to adapt potentially controversial material into content that is acceptable for everyone.Learning about the different ways to apply multiple intelligence theory in the classroom is very useful to me as a future teacher. The thought of finding ways to incorporate each of the eight intelligences into my curriculum is a very daunting task, and there is a lot of pressure because messing up results in wasting precious time to educate a student. But the tenets of multiple intelligence theory – flexibility, adaptability, hands-on learning – are all traits that teachers should strive for anyway. As a teacher I will try to be all of these things, because accommodating for different learning styles is of the utmost importance. Something the author said in Chapter 9 really stood out to me; on page 129, the author says that we have to be careful not to create an education system where we exploit students’ strongest intelligences to pigeonhole them into the sector of society that we see fit. Multiple intelligence theory is all about equality and acceptance, and creating a ranking system of different intelligences is not something that would accomplish these goals. As a teacher I want to strive to have a classroom where there is no longer a boundary between the “smart” kids and the “dumb” kids. Teachers need to learn to appreciate the different strengths of their students, and so do the students themselves. The best way for this to happen is for teachers to integrate acceptance of multiple intelligences into their curriculum, and that is something that I am determined to do as an educator.
Alison Hutchins
The chapters in Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom all focused on some aspect of the successful use of multiple intelligences. This involves not only in the classroom, but in the school as a whole. The classroom aspect talks about some really simple ways that a teacher can make a student of any multiple intelligence strength more capable of learning in their room. The most interesting was probably the very basic utilization of the environment of the classroom. It is really important to be sure that the room is comfortable, but not overly distracting, posters, for example, can be great for linguistic learners, but if they're too distracting, they can take away from the actual events of the classroom. The same goes for the possibility of playing music. It could greatly help musical learners, but they are also the ones that can get easily distracted listening to music, so it is important to make sure that it is something that will absolutely slip into the background of the true lesson. The parts about a multiple intelligence school were really interesting, especially because they look at the same traditional subjects, just in a new way. There are three positions in a MI school that really make it an MI school. These are the Curriculum Brokers, who match students to the courses in which they would have the best possibility of maximizing their potential; Assessment Specialists, who keep records of every student's strengths, and areas of struggle, based on their multiple intelligence information; and a Student Community Broker, who would be utilized to find student's positions in their community where they could use their multiple intelligence areas of strength. Part of the reading also discusses the importance of a teacher understanding different cultural responses to intelligences. As I want to teach in India someday, I really found this interesting, as their culture no doubt differs from ours in that sense. The idea of adding a ninth intelligence is something that I was pretty fascinated by, as I feel like there probably are a lot more than just eight intelligences. I don't really see how existential necessarily fits with the format of the other intelligences, however.
All of the information in these chapters are really important to my ideas about my future classroom. I had never thought so in depth about the way that students of varying multiple intelligences would view my classroom, or how that could effect their ability to learn. Making students comfortable in the environment and with the teacher is something that I think is crucial to learning, so I will definitely implement this. I would also love to see a multiple intelligence school in action, as it really is not anything that I have seen in action before, or that I have, to my memory, heard of. The existence of a ninth intelligence is absolutely something that I will keep an eye on, because I would not want a learner in my classroom to lose the opportunity to learn the way that is best for them just because their intelligence has not been officially recognized.
Amy Jones
These 4 Chapters in MI talked about Multiple Intelligences into deeper understandings. The chapters talked about how the environments of students should be as customized as the learning should be. The little things like make your classroom colorful and filled with pictures, makes the spatial experts feel comfortable, or the tone of your voice as a teacher can either engage a musical learner or disengage them with each sentence. Another area that the chapters touched on was the idea of customized the whole learning experiences, where the primary focus of the school isn’t testing and standardized assessment, but rather a school that understands that if children embraced themselves as individuals then just imagine how much of their potential they can reach. With the same thinking in mind of having the children reaching their full potential, another area that was address was the idea of integrating more technology into the classrooms. This is a subject that I agree with but to some extent. I have learned about a lot of different tools that technology can bring, but with being an aspiring health educator, I can’t help but think that some of our nation’s biggest health concerns are enhanced by technology. For example the technological advancement such as the different tools for which farmers gather their crops. With the bigger machines and the enhanced seeds this country is making a surplus of corn that has seem to makes its way into a lot of the food and drink (corn syrup) that most of us eat on a regular basis, and now feed it to animals that are not design to eat this corn and end up killing them from the inside out. Enough on that subject and on that of cultural differences in the mists of all intelligence. This is the idea that the culture in which you grow up in may or may not play a factor in the development of one intelligence over another. The examples in the book where very interesting to find out. On page 177 the author talks about a culture that originated in the South Sea Islands are more prone to be naturalists and specialist because of the geography of the area. They are taught at young ages to memorize where the different islands are by the surfaces of different formations and also by the cancellations in the sky. This area also touched upon the natural career paths of the certain intelligences, which in my case pin pointed it exactly. The final area that was mentioned was that of a possible ninth intelligence. This intelligence being existential. This intelligence is focused on the idea of “the concern with ultimate life issues” (182). This is discussed throughout the chapter and it perceived to be a hard intelligence to introduce into a classroom because of the ethical and religious concerns. This is the main reason Howard Gardiner hasn’t officially introduced this intelligence fully, referring to it as a half intelligence making there 8 ½ intelligences instead of just eight.